Battle Fantasia

This is one game that will more than likely be overlooked, which is a big shame being that Battle Fantasia (while not being really too different from other 2D fighters) is still very good in it own right. Aksys Games should be commended on bringing this very niche title here to the states. It also cool that it was made by one of my favorite fighting developers Arc System Works. This is NOT Guilty Gear with a new coat of skin. Compared to GG its much slower but the characters themselves are still pretty wild/weird (an Arc System's trademark). Battle Fantasia is sort of a "storybook" based fighter. By that I mean all of these characters feel as if they were pulled straight out of fairytales and were made to fight. Characters range from boy wizard Cleric, HUGE oaf Donvalve, catgirl Coyori, knight in training Marco, gunslinger Face (my personal fave), etc. The roster is pretty small as it only has 12 fighters, but luckily there all pretty unique and fun to use. Its also pretty cool that instead of the announcer saying "round 1" its "chapter 1"...see, like a "storybook". Battle Fantasia's modes consist of Arcade, Vs, Survival, Time Attack, Xbox Live, and Story Mode. It also has a Gallery mode to check out all the endings and pictures that you unlock throughout the course of playtime. It should keep you pretty busy for quite a while in order to unlock everything (considering it also unlock achievements). So as far as game modes go I have no complaints whatsoever. Graphics look beautiful. All the characters are 3-D but the fights are strickly 2-D. They all are wonderfully deatiled, and there animations and expressions are top notch. All of there super moves are also very well done with really nice special effects and fit with each respective character. The backgrounds themselves, while some of them are simple looking, are also beautifully done. Its a fantastic looking fighter. The music for the game is very "fantasy" like. Every level's music fits just about perfectly. While its not the greatest music I've ever heard in a fighting game, it is very well made, and again, fits pretty perfectly. Sound effects are also pretty spot on. Punches sound like punches, slams sound like slams, and there supers all sound like they pack a wallop. I also really like that in each characters story mode they all speak japenese with english subtitles. I'd rather have that then horrific voice acting anyday. Controls will be instantly familiar to anyone who's played any street fighter game. Its all pretty much half circles, charging certain moves, etc. As for playing with the 360 pad, to be completely honest, its not actually too bad. Mostly every command I input comes out. I would say about a good 85% of the time. All in all not to shabby. Aksys Games took a chance on Battle Fantasia and I'm really glad they did, as I'm enjoying it very much. If your a fan of the fighting genre you should give Battle Fantasia a look. Its characters, storybook setting, and gameplay are all very solid. At the very least, give it a shot when the price drops. Definately an underground sleeper.